House History

BOYD, William R. (1864-1950) received a Ph.D. degree from the University of Iowa in 1899. He received the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from three schools - Coe College (1935), University of Iowa (1942), and Parsons College (1944). Before becoming chairman of the finance committee of the Board of Education (Board of Regents) in 1909, he served as a high school principal and as a newspaper editor. He was well known to newspaper editors, politicians and educators. He served on the board of trustees of Coe College and for a time was a lecturer on political economy in that institution. Probably the greatest achievement during his 40 year tenure as chairman of the finance committee (from 1909 to 1949) was his part in the development of the College of Medicine at the University of Iowa. In fact, a 1910 report on Medical Education in the United States and Canada severely criticized the school and the Board was on the verge of closing the medical unit when Dr. Boyd came to the rescue and secured grants from both the Carnegie and Rockefeller Foundations. These grants, plus the appropriations from the legislature, resulted in the Medical College of the University taking its place among the leading medical schools of the country.